Orthopedic appliance



W. W. WINIARSKI.

oRTHoPEnIc APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.17, i919.

1,356,327. Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

effective orthopedic appliance adapted for WALTER W. WINIAnsxI, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

onrnornnro APPLIANCE.

Specification of Letters Zlatent.` Patented Oct. 19, 1920.

Application filed February 17, 1919. Serial No. 277,596.

ing at Burialo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Ortho-` pedic Appliances, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates t0 improvements in and more particuorthopedic appliances, larly to a brace or support for a fractured or deformed limb, used either to maintain 4the limb in proper forni or to relieve the same from the Weight of the body, depending upon the particularuse to which the 1nvention is applied.

ln the particular adaptation of my invention shown, it is intended to impart the weight of the body from a fractured lower leg portion to the brace or support'and incidentally assist the foot in its natural action while walking, thereby relieving the fracture from strain so asto permit the injured limb to become properly healed within the shortest period of time without causing inconvenience to the injured person.

lVhile I have shown this invention embodied in an appliance adapted for fractured limbs, it will be apparent that it may be used on any appliance adapted to be in part attached to the shoe of the wearer, either for the purpose shown or for correctingany deformity of the leg.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for detachably securing orthopedic appliances to a shoe.

Another object is to provide a simple and relieving a wounded leg from strain, or for correcting any deformities While permitting the user to wear any desired 'shoe in'connection with the appliance.

The invention consists in the novel features of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more partic'ula'rlypointthreaded end and in contact with the under ed out in the subjoined claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the application of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a Ydetached perspective view of the lower portion of an orthopedic appliance constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 3 is a cross section taken on a plane indicated by the line 3-3, Fig. 2.

Referring by reference numerals to the drawings, 4 designates an appliance, such as is adapted for application to a limb fractured below the knee, and it comprises a leg-band 5 adapted to be fastened around the leg of the user in any suitable manner. A brace or support 6 is secured to the legband 5 and extends downwardly therefrom to the sole of the shoe 7, to which is detachably secured in the manner to be hereinafter set forth. `The brace or support comprises an upper brace member 8 which extends downwardly from the leg-band 5 to a point in line with the ankle-joint where it is pivotally secured to a lower brace member 9, as at 10. n n

The upper brace `member 8 is preferably constructed of thin bar material, while the lower brace member 9 is preferably stamped from sheet metal with a lug 11` formed thereon and twisted at a right angle yto theV face of said lower brace member. Inall appliances of this kind the lower brace member is secured to the shoe of the wearer, either directly or through the medium of another member or part, and in all instances the attachment is made permanent so that the same shoe must be worn with the appliance at all ti1nes. f

Appliances of this kind are invariably arovided with means to prevent drooping of the front portion of the foot when raising the leg during the action of walking, such means being arranged so kthat the front portion vofthe foot may be raised during the walking action, but for this purpose l have provided novel meansincluvding thelug 1l which has a rod 12 passed through an opening 18 in said lug, said rod having its upper end passed through a second lugl 11i extending forwardly from the front edge of the upper brace member 8both 4upper andy lower extremities of said rodbeing threaded, as at 15, with a nut 16 applied to each and upper sides of the lugs 11, 14, respectively. Consequently, when raising the front portion ofthe foot upwardly while walking, the lug 11 may move upwardly on the rod 12, and when stepping forward said lug may move downwardly on said rod until the under side thereof again comes in contact with the nut 16, thus limiting the drooping movement of the front portion of the foot and relieving the fracture from undue strain.

In the event of its being found that the necessary freedom of the foot is not provided for lower nut 16 may be lowered on the rod or the upper nut 16 raised, which will permit the front portion of the foot to droopto a slightly greater degree, but' when the drooping action is found to be too great and causes the fractured portion of the leg to be strained, such action may be restricted by threading .the lower nut 16 upwardly orf the upper nut 16 downwardly on the rod 12. It will be noted that the lug 11 extends forwardly and slightly inwardly over the front of the foot so that its restraining action is in the plane of the front portion of the foot, the action of which it is adapted to control.

It is apparent that the nuts 16 serve as stop enlargements, and therefore, if desired, the upperor lower end of the rod 12 may have a fixed head or enlargement since the adjustment may be effected satisfactorily at one end of the rod.

The lower brace member 9 is widened it closely approaches the arch of the shoe, as at 17, and is then bent inwardly, as at 18, with its inner extremity bent down wardly to form a securing flange 19. Secured to the inwardly bent portion of the lower brace member is a securing element' or clamp whereby the lower portion of the appliance is detachably secured to a shoe. This securing element or clamp comprises two members 219, 21, of which member 20, in the preferred form of appliance shown, is permanently secured to the widened inwardly bentl portion 18, of the lower brace member 9. Member 20, which is preferably wider and longer than member 21, as best. shown in F ig. 2, has a flat bearing portion 22 of substantially the same width and length as the inwardly bent portion 18 of the lower brace member 9, a downwardly bent flange 23 which lies in contact with the inner face of the securing flange 19, and an upwardly and inwardly curved clamping portion or retainer flange 24 at its outer marginal portion, which is extended rearwardly, as at 24a. This clamping portion or retainer flange is adapted to engage or embrace t'he edge of the shoe-sole at the arch of the shoe, and the rearwardly extended portion 24a thereof is adapted to be partly embedded between the shoe upper and the heel, as at 24h, Fig. 1, or into the body portion of the heel, as may be desired.

Member 20 is preferably secured to the widened inwardly bent portion 18 of the lower brace member by means of rivets 25, and member 21, which is narrower and.

during the walking action, theV shorter than member 20 of the securing element or clamp, comprises a flat upper portion 26, a downwardly bent flange 27 at the inner marginal yportion of said flat upper portion and an upwardly and inwardly curved clamping portion or retainer flange 28 at the outer marginal portion thereof,

which is extended rearwardly, as at 2S. This rearwardly extended portion 28a is also adapted to be partly embedded between the shoe upper and the heel, or into the body of the heel, as may be desired.

The downwardly-directed flange 27 is adapted to lie in contact with the inner face of the flange 23 of member 20, so that the three flanges 19, 23 and 27 are arranged in contact' one withy another, and through these three flanges, one or more screws 29 are passed, the screw or screws being passed loosely through openings in the flanges 19 and 23, and threaded into an opening' or openings in the flanges 27. These anges may, however, be otherwise fastened t0- gether. Member 21 of the securing portion of the appliance is therefore removable from the remainder of the appliance, and upon loosening the screws 29, the appliance may be detached from the shoe of the wearer. This may be accomplished without removing the appliance from the leg of the wearer so that the wearer may, for different occasions, change his shoe and quickly and conveniently secure the appliance thereto.

By making the securing element or portion of the appliance in two parts, one of the parts or members, viz., the detachablysecured part or member 21, may be a replaceable part or member; that is to say, the part or member 21 may be manufactured in large quantities and in different widths, while the part or member 2O may always be of the same width, thus enabling a narrower or wider part or member 21 to be connected to the part or member 20, as the width of the shoe to which the appliance is to be attached may require.

y the use of the rearwardly extending portions 24a and 2Sa for coperation with the heel of a. shoe, the brace or support 6 is given a 'iirm bearing when the heel is in contact with the floor, whereas if the securing element or clamp were made to coper-` ate only with the sole at the arch of the foot, it would be permitted to yield owing to the fact that there is nothing underneath the arch to prevent its downward movement. The cooperation therefore of this brace or support with'the heel is a decided advantage in the use of this invention.

lVhen using shoes in connection with this appliance which have the arch. portions of the sole wider than the securing or clamping portion and it is not desired to replace the narrow part or member 21 with a wider part or member, a suitable filler strip may be interposed betweenl the two flanges 943 and 27, so as to increase the space between the upturned gripping flanges 24 and 28.

When attached to a shoe, the securing element or portion is concealed, with the eX- ception of the gripping flange 28, and securely fastens the lo`wer portion of the appliance to the shoe.

This appliance may be said to comprise two right angled parts, one having means to detachably fasten-the same to the leg of the wearer and the other including means to detachably fasten it to a shoe at the arch portion thereof so that no portion of the appliance will come in contact with the ground or floor while walking, the appliance being arranged to permit flexing of the shoe while walking. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is i. An orthopedic appliance comprising a leg-band, a brace or support having its upper end secured to said leg-band and having two pivotally connected members with the lower end of one of said members attached to the shoe, said last-mentioned member having an extension provided with an opening, a rod having its upper end secured to the upper` portion of the appliance and extending downwardly through the opening in said extension, and adjustable means on said rod adapted to engage said extension.

2. An orthopedic appliance comprising a leg-band, a brace or support extending downwardly from said leg-band and having two pivotally-connected members with the end of one of said members secured to the shoe, said last-mentioned member having a forward extension provided with an opening, a rod secured at its upper end to said appliance at a point above said forward extension and extending therefrom downwardly through the opening in said extension, the lower end of said rod being threaded, and a nut adjustably applied to the threaded lower end of said rod and bearing against the under side of said forward extension.

3. An orthopedic appliance comprising a body portion having an inwardly-bent lower end adapted to extend underneath the arch of a shoe, a securing portion comprising two members, one of said members being secured to the inwardly-bent lower end of said body portion and the other member being detachably secured to the first-mentioned member to co-act with the latter for detachably securing the lower end of saidbody portion` to the shoe.

4. An orthopedic appliance comprising a leg-band, a body portion securedto said legband and extending downwardly therefrom, the lower end of said body portion being bent inwardly and having a gripping element thereon adapted to engage one edge of the sole' of a shoe, and a detachable member applied to the lower end of said body portion and having a gripping element adapted to engage the other edge of said sole.

An orthopedic appliance comprising a leg-band, a brace or support extending downwardly from said leg-band and having a widened lower end bent inwardly and terminating in a downwardly bent securing flange, a securing portion comprising two members, one of said members having a flat portion lying in contact with the upper face of the inwardly bent portion of said body7 portion and having a downwardly bent securing flange at its inner marginal portion in contact with the securing flange of said body portion and an upwardly bent gripping flange at its outer marginal portion adapted to engage one edge of the sole of a shoe, the other member of said securing portion comprising a flat portion having a downwardly bent securing flange at its inner marginal portion lying in contact with the securing flange of the first-mentioned member of said securing portion and an upstanding gripping flange at its outer end to engage the opposite edge of the sole of the shoe, and detachable fastening means for securing said securing flanges together.

6. An orthopedic'appliance comprising a body portion, a gripping element secured to the lower end of said body portion to engage one edge of the sole of a shoe and with its rear end engage one side of the heel of the shoe, and a detachable member applied to the lower end of said body portion and having a gripping element adapted to engage the other edge of said sole, said gripping element yhaving its rear portion adapted to engage the other side of the heel of the shoe.

Intestimony whereof I affix my signature.

"WALTER W. WINIARSKI. 

